Minor Happenings: Canzler's tear puts him in ML crosshairs

Russ Canzler (Photo: IPI)
By Tony Lastoria
June 21, 2012
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"Minor Happenings" is a bi-weekly column which recaps the important developments and news in the Indians farm system. Information in this report is compiled from my own research and through discussions with industry personnel inside and outside the Cleveland Indians organization. Unless otherwise noted, the intellectual property contained in this report is owned by IndiansProspectInsider.com LLC, and any unauthorized reproduction of the information is prohibited.

With no Minor Happenings this past Tuesday (I’m still catching up on things), today’s piece is stuffed with a lot more information than usual as I provide both my minor league hitter and pitcher of the week along with several injury updates, first impressions on Tyler Naquin, what Dillon Howard has been up to, and lots more.

This week a lot of time was spent on breaking down the first half of the season since we have reached the halfway point with the full season Single-A teams on their All Star break. On Monday in “3 Up, 3 Down” I recapped the three good and three not so good performances at the Single-A level this season for the Indians, and then yesterday I took stock at the midpoint on several players at each level in my weekly IPI Stock Watch. I also sat down and talked with the front office for about 20 minutes on Wednesday about some of the performances in the first half, and will provide that update in a piece either tomorrow or in Tuesday’s Minor Happenings’ piece.

Last night I was in Mahoning Valley so I had a chance to see and talk to a lot of the new guys. I will be providing updates and stuff on all of them soon. This coming week I will be off to Columbus for a few days to get another look at some of the big league options the Indians have stashed away there.

Onto the Happenings…

IPI Minor League Hitter of the Week

Russ Canzler (First base/left fielder - Columbus)
(for games from June 14th through June 20th)
.414 AVG (12-for-29), 5 R, 2 2B, 4 HR, 16 RBI, 4 BB, 5 K, 1.367 OPS

Welcome to the 2012 season, Russ Canzler. It only took you about two months, but you have finally joined the party.

Canzler, 26, had about as big of a week from a production standpoint as I can recall an Indians “prospect” having in the last ten years that I have been covering the farm system. He played eight games in the week (Columbus had a doubleheader) and averaged two RBI a game and got at least one hit in all eight games. The International League also rewarded him for play by naming him the league’s Hitter of the Week for the period from June 11-17. With the week he has had since, he may end up winning the award again next Monday.

Canzler’s offensive explosion has pushed his overall numbers up where he is now hitting .274 with 7 HR, 34 RBI, and .764 OPS in 68 games. It is still not close to his MVP numbers from last season at Durham (.314 AVG, 18 HR, 83 RBI, .930 OPS), but if he keeps this up he is going to quickly make up some more ground on last year’s performance.

The reason for Canzler’s recent offensive outbreak is directly tied to his improved approach at the plate where he is being more patient and not expanding the zone as in his last ten games he has five walks and just six strikeouts in 34 at bats (1 K per 5.7 AB). That is in stark contrast to what he did in his first 58 games where he walked 16 times and struck out 64 times in 214 at bats (1 K per 3.3 AB). The strikeouts have been a big problem for him all season mostly because he has really lacked patience and not shown the ability to stay within the zone like he did last season when the Indians scouted him.

The question now is if Canzler’s recent hot streak is worthy of calling him up and giving him a shot in Cleveland. The Indians could use a right-handed bat that can play first base and left field, but I have to think that the Indians are going to wait and see how he hits after he cools off. The larger sample of his first 60 games where he was very inconsistent and a human windmill still significantly outweighs the evaluations that can be taken from his most recent eight games; however, if his more patient approach holds up and he continues to produce at a good rate for another two weeks or so, he could enter into the big league mix again.

Honorable mentions:

Tim Fedroff (OF – COL): .450 AVG (9-for-20), 5 R, 2 2B, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 5 BB, 1 K, 1.069 OPS
Matt LaPorta (OF – COL): .364 AVG (8-for-22), 4 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 8 K, .985 OPS
Nick Weglarz (OF – AKR): .286 AVG (8-for-28), 4 R, 3 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 5 BB, 10 K, 1.019 OPS
Ronny Rodriguez (SS – CAR): .500 AVG (8-for-16), 6 R, 1 2B, 2 3B, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 0 BB, 0 K, 1.342 OPS
Jesus Aguilar (1B – CAR): .438 AVG (7-for-16), 6 R, 3 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K, 1.283 OPS
Giovanny Urshela (3B – CAR): .444 AVG (8-for-18), 3 R, 3 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 0 BB, 2 K, 1.222 OPS
Francisco Lindor (SS – LC): .417 AVG (5-for-12), 5 R, 3 2B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 7 BB, 2 K, 1.333 OPS
Todd Hankins (INF – LC): .333 AVG (3-for-10), 4 R, 0 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 5 BB, 1 K, 1.333 OPS
Jerrud Sabourin (1B – LC): .375 AVG (6-for-16), 2 R, 3 2B, 0 HR, 6 RBI, 4 BB, 2 K, 1.063 OPS

Previous winners:

05/31/12 to 06/13/12: Jordan Smith (OF, Lake County)
05/24/12 to 05/30/12: Jerrud Sabourin (1B, Lake County)
05/17/12 to 05/23/12: Kyle Bellows (3B, Akron)
05/10/12 to 05/16/12: Jared Goedert (OF, Akron)
05/03/12 to 05/09/12: Jesus Aguilar (1B, Carolina)
04/26/12 to 05/02/12: Matt LaPorta (1B/OF, Columbus)
04/19/12 to 04/25/12: Jeremie Tice (DH, Carolina)
04/12/12 to 04/18/12: Jared Goedert (OF, Akron)
04/05/12 to 04/11/12: Matt LaPorta (1B/OF, Columbus)

IPI Minor League Pitcher of the Week

Brett Brach (Right-handed pitcher – Akron)
(for games from June 12th through June 18th)
1-0, 0.75 ERA, 2 G, 12.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R (1 ER), 3 BB, 4 K, .143 AVG

With the short week for the Single-A affiliates due to the All Star break, the pickings were slim when it came to the top pitcher in the Indians’ organization for the week. But the week that Double-A right-hander Brett Brach had would have been good enough to be nominated any week.

Brach, 24, made two strong starts going 6.0 innings in each and did not allow more than one earned run in either outing. On the season he is now 2-3 with a 3.97 ERA in 14 combined appearances at Akron and High-A Carolina, and in 59.0 innings he has allowed 71 hits, 1 home run, 18 walks, and has 33 strikeouts.

Brach’s peripheral numbers are not very good as he has allowed opposing hitters to hit .311 off of him and he has a low 5.0 K/9 rate, but that is the byproduct of a sinkerballer that pitches to contact. He has proven to be a solid performer in his career and has created some value for himself as a guy that can start or relieve at a moment’s notice and is not overwhelmed by any situation the Indians may put him in within a game or moving him up to a higher level for a spot start.

Brach is more of an organizational guy at the moment that is filling in at Double-A Akron because of the lack of starting options there, but at the same time he is pitching well and with each good outing he increases his value. His repertoire is fringy, so he is going to have to be elite with his command and really consistently work his sinker well down in the zone to have any visions of improving his stock and someday reaching (and staying) in Triple-A and also getting that big league opportunity.

Honorable mentions:

Corey Kluber (RHP – COL): 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K, .167 AVG
Chris Schwinden (RHP – COL): 1-0, 1.29 ERA, 1 G, 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R/ER, 1 BB, 3 K, .130 AVG
Steven Wright (RHP – AKR): 0-2, 2.45 ERA, 2 G, 11.0 IP, 9 H, 6 R (3 ER), 4 BB, 8 K, .200 AVG
Mason Radeke (RHP – LC): 1-0, 1.80 ERA, 1 G, 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R/ER, 1 HR, 0 BB, 4 K, .222 AVG

Previous winners:

05/31/12 to 06/11/12: Mason Radeke (RHP, Lake County)
05/22/12 to 05/30/12: T.J. House (LHP, Akron)
05/15/12 to 05/21/12: T.J. McFarland (LHP, Akron)
05/08/12 to 05/14/12: Francisco Jimenez (LHP, Carolina)
05/01/12 to 05/07/12: Steven Wright (RHP, Akron)
04/24/12 to 04/30/12: Steven Wright (RHP, Akron)
04/17/12 to 04/23/12: Chris Seddon (RHP, Columbus)
04/05/12 to 04/16/12: Cody Allen (RHP, Carolina/Akron)

First impressions of Naquin

I was in Niles last night for the home opener for short season Single-A Mahoning Valley and also the pro debut of2012 first round pick outfielder Tyler Naquin. I have to say – even though it was one game – I came away impressed with what I saw.

Now, I do not think anyone expects Naquin to be a big time star. It could happen, but I myself am not expecting it. But what I see is a guy that played up to exactly what his scouting report says, which is a guy that plays hard, is not afraid to get dirty, can fill a box score, and can affect a game in so many ways. Last night he went 3-for-4 with a double and stolen base, and in all four at bats offered up something different and in the field showed his full range of skills.

In Naquin’s first at bat he laced a single up the middle and then promptly stole second base easily. One inning into his pro debut the front of his jersey was a mess, which is an image Mahoning Valley fans will probably see a lot this season and Indians fans will see a lot of at other affiliates as he moves up the minor league chain.

In the second inning a soft liner was hit to left center field and as the runner made the turn to attempt to go to second, Naquin picked the ball up and turned and fired a strike to second and showed off his howitzer of an arm in the process. In the third inning he showed his willingness to use the entire field as in his second at bat he hit a line drive double the opposite way to left field and got it into the corner. He thought about going for a triple but was held up since there were two outs.

In the fourth inning with a runner at second base a ball was hit to medium-deep right center. Naquin circled under it and as the runner considered tagging he fired a throw on a line to the third baseman that never touched the ground. The 5,000+ fans in attendance erupted in a big applause at the impressive throw.

In his third at bat Naquin sent a soft groundball that was fielded behind second base that he beat out for an infield single. Finally, in his last at bat he fell behind in the count and fouled off about five or six pitches in a long at bat before finally striking out. He was removed from the game after the inning and outfielder Aaron Siliga was inserted into the game. When all was said and done he showed all of his assets in one game: his ability to hit, use the whole field, steal bases, throw the ball, and lots or hustle.

Naquin only played seven innings as he is still being worked back into full game action, a reason why he did not play the first two games. Since he had not played in a few weeks, the Indians are simply just ramping him back up to get him game ready. Also, he is not expected to be in Mahoning Valley for long as he will probably move up to Low-A County at some point and get a significant number of games there so he is ready to begin next season at High-A Carolina.

Infirmary report

Here is an update on how some of the walking wounded are doing:

Triple-A Columbus infielder Andy LaRoche is on the disabled list with a left shoulder strain. He was placed on thedisabled list on June 16th and may not be back before the All Star break.

Double-A Akron third baseman Kyle Bellows is on the disabled list with a left wrist sprain. He last played on June 13th and was placed on the disabled list on June 14th, and is expected to be out for a little longer.

High-A Carolina right-handed pitcher Trey Haley went on the disabled list with a right groin strain a few weeks ago and is still rehabbing so he can get back on the mound. The groin has been an ongoing issue for him as he was sidelined with the issue at the end of spring training and also some of last year as well.

Outfielder LeVon Washington is still rehabbing from surgery to his right hip. He is not playing in any games or close to game action. If things go well he could maybe begin playing in games sometime in August, but chances are he will not play with any affiliate the rest of this season except for maybe a few games with Arizona. Instructional League looks like a more realistic return date for him at this point.

Left-handed pitcher Daniel Jimenez has been sidelined with a left fifth digit finger fracture. The injury and subsequent rehab may result in him missing the rest of the season and not pitching any affiliate ball all year.

Right-handed pitchers Hector Rondon and Clayton Cook are both still working through their rehab process in their recovery from arm injuries. Both are not close to a return.

Where is Howard?

I have been getting a ton of questions over the past week asking where right-handed pitcher Dillon Howard has been and why he was not pitching yet for Low-A Lake County or was not added to the short-season Single-A Mahoning Valley roster this week.

I can verify that Howard is okay both because I talked to the Indians about him yesterday afternoon, and also because he pitched last night in the season opener for rookie level Arizona. He went 3.0 innings and allowed 6 runs (4 earned) on 4 hits, 1 home run, 2 walks, and had 1 strikeout.

As to why Howard is pitching in Arizona right now and not at Low-A Lake County like he was expected to at the start of the season? Well, there are several reasons. First off, he injured his knee in spring training and got sick so it set him back some. Also, after further evaluating things the Indians decided they felt it best to just have him pitch in extended spring training and then pitch in the Arizona Summer League.

There are other reasons, which are not good. I have heard from people outside of the Indians front office that that Howard did not come into camp in very good shape, which is something that may have contributed to his injury in the spring and for his poor showing to date. His velocity in the spring and in extended spring training has only been up to 88-89 MPH, so there are certainly some things going on there.

This is the risk a team takes when it takes a high school player in the draft and gives them a ton of money to sign as every player responds differently. As a result, this is going to end up as more of a learning year for Howard and one to get him back on track and pitching like he was expected to when the season started. There is no doubt he has serious talent, and some of what has happened to him this season may have been beyond his control, but he’s still developing both on and off the mound.

All Stars present and future

In the High-A All Star game between the California League and Carolina League, the Carolina League came outvictorious by a score of 9-1 and both High-A Carolina representative’s designated hitter Jeremie Tice and right-handed pitcher Shawn Armstrong got into the game. Tice went 1-for-3 with a run scored, RBI, and strikeout, and Armstrong went two-thirds of an inning and struck out both batters he faced.

In the Midwest League All Star game on Tuesday night the East team crushed the West team by a score of 18-2. Low-A Lake County shortstop Francisco Lindor started and played the whole game and hit leadoff for the East team and went 2-for-4 with a run scored, RBI, strikeout, and stole a base. Right-handed pitcher Cody Anderson pitched 1.0 shutout inning of relief and did not allow a hit or strike a batter out though walked one batter. Right-handed pitcher Joe Colon retired the only batter he faced.

Also, today Major League Baseball announced the participants for the 14th annual SiriusXM All Star Futures Game to be played at 5:00 PM ET on Sunday July 8th in Kansas City. The Indians prospects selected to play in the game are Low-A Lake County shortstop Francisco Lindor and High-A Carolina first baseman Jesus Aguilar, both of which will play for the World team.

Random Notes

Triple-A Columbus infielder/outfielder Jason Donald hit for the cycle on Tuesday night, going 4-for-6 with a single,double, triple, and home run. He also scored two runs and had four RBI. He hit a two-run homer in his first at bat in the first inning, tripled in his second at bat to lead off the third inning, singled in his third at bat during a long third inning, and then after grounding out to second in the fifth inning and striking out in the 7th inning, he doubled on a line drive to center with two outs in the ninth inning that plated two runs. In 32 games with Columbus he is hitting .287 with 2 HR, 16 RBI and .821 OPS, and more interesting is he has played left field in two of his last seven games, his first two games in left field all season.

Double-A Akron outfielder Thomas Neal is on a little bit of a roll of late. In his last ten games he is hitting .286 with 3 HR, 7 RBI and .916 OPS, numbers that were what was expected of him when the Indians acquired him last July. His three home runs have all come in his last nine games, and are the first home runs for him this season as he did not hit a single home run his first 44 games. He is having a solid season hitting .284 and has a decent .348 on-base percentage, but the power is where he has to prove himself as that is what is going to make him valuable. Hopefully the recent home run tear for him continues, or at the worst, he continues to drive the ball and begins to start piling up a lot of doubles.

High-A Carolina shortstop Ronny Rodriguez capped off the first half with arguably his best game of the season when he went 5-for-5 at the plate with a double, three runs scored, and two RBI on Sunday. Over his last eight games he is 12-for-29 (.414) with three doubles, two triples, and a home run and looks to not only be driving the ball well but also making much more consistent, hard contact (just two strikeouts in those 29 at bats). He has always shown that when he makes consistent contact that he can be a dangerous hitter because of his excellent bat speed and his ability to drive the ball to all parts of the ballpark, it is just getting him consistent with his approach where he not only is patient and is willing to take a walk but also is not so quick to pull the trigger on breaking pitches low and away. In 67 games this season he is hitting .275 with 5 HR, 32 RBI and a .733 OPS, which is a solid showing in for a player his age in the tough Carolina League.

Low-A Lake County outfielder Bryson Myles has been in and out of the lineup a lot this season because of a lingering left hamstring issue. He missed almost three weeks from May 20th to June 5th because of the injury, and did not play the last three games of the first half of the season for Lake County this past weekend. With Lake County enjoying a four game break, the Indians are hoping a full week off will help Myles get over the injury and be ready to come back and play once they get back into action this weekend. Even though he has not had consistent playing time he has had a solid season to date hitting .270 with 2 HR, 20 RBI, 11 stolen bases and .758 OPS in 37 games.

BA notes these prospect lines from Wednesday:

CLE AA Van Mil, Loek 2.1 0 0 0 0 2 1.16
CLE AAA Barnes, Scott 1 2 1 1 2 0 3.82
CLE R Howard, Dillon 3 4 6 4 2 1 12.00 L (0-1)
CLE SS Naquin, Tyler CF 4 0 3 0 .750 2B (1), SB (1)

they do not include
CLE AA House, T.J. 7 2 0 0 2 4 3.12 W (5-2) (7-2 including his stay in Carolina in April)

Jesus Aguillar with a big night: 2 singles, a walk, his 7th homer, 3 RBI. Tony Wolters two doubles and a walk. 2 hits each by Urshela, Holt, RonnieRod, Bo Greenwell. Danny Salazare still limited to 3 innings, is not scored on.
Aguillar OPS 873; K/BB is 58/28, last year was 126/46.

http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.js ... a_cmcafa_1

Scrappers lose 6-2 and lose their 2nd baseman. Jose Ramirez singled, doubled, walked and stole a base and got promoted to Lake County.

http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.js ... x_mvsasx_1

Indians second round draft pick Mitch Brown signed with Cleveland on Friday, June 15 and chatted with TribeVibe about his draft experience, his style of pitching and his aspirations for the future:

“I like to pitch inside a lot with the fastball, and I’m probably more of a strikeout pitcher than a finesse pitcher. I just like to go right after hitters, get ahead, and jump on top right away, and keep them off-balance from there.

We have not had a lot of luck with high school pitchers but let's hope Brown is an exception.

A few years ago they took TJ McFarland out of high school in the second round and after some mediocre seasons he's looked good in 2012 and has made it to Columbus.

Then in 2009 TJ House was signed out of high school to a much over slot contract and he too is having a breakout 2012 in Akron.

So maybe our High School pitching success is beginning to turn.

Ronnie Rodriguez made the waiting list on the Hot Prospect list:

There's no getting around it: Indians SS Ronny Rodriguez is raw, both at the plate and in the field. Yet there are some promising tools here, and with a week like this one—he went 10-for-17 (.588) with a double and two triples—there's reason to be intrigued by the 20-year-old with high Class A Carolina

As expected, the Indians made made several roster moves today throughout their minor league system. With the start of the second half for the full season Single-A teams and the start of short season leagues, this is usually a time where there is a lot of movement. With that in mind, I felt it best to recap all of today's activity below:

To Double-A Akron: Right-handed pitcher Tyler Sturdevant[No. 12 prospect started the season on the DL, had reached AAA last year] and designated hitter Jeremie Tice [25 year old DH] transferred from High-A Carolina to Akron.

To High-A Carolina: Right-handed pitchers Cole Cook and Grant Sides transferred from Low-A Lake County to Carolina.

To Low-A Lake County: Left-handed pitcher Kyle Petter transferred from High-A Carolina to Lake County. Second baseman Jose Ramirez transferred from short season Single-A Mahoning Valley to Lake County. Catcher Patric Tolentino and outfielder Jordan Casas both activated on Lake County roster.

To short season Single-A Mahoning Valley: Infielder Robel Garcia transferred from Low-A Lake County to Mahoning Valley. Infielder Joe Sever expected to be activated today (not official yet).

To rookie level Arizona: Right-handed pitcher Nick Pasquale transferred from short season Single-A Mahoning Valley to Arizona.

Other transactions: Right-handed pitcher Toru Murata placed on Double-A Akron disabled list on June 19th with a left calf strain. … Infielder Nick Bartolone placed on Low-A Lake County disabled list on June 19th with a right ankle sprain. … First baseman Beau Mills traded to Cincinnati for cash on June 21st. … Outfielder Ben Copeland released from Double-A Akron

First baseman Beau Mills traded to Cincinnati for cash on June 21st.

I hope we got back what we (over)paid him. Wasn't he a first round pick?

Mills dealt to Cincinnati


By: Jim Massie
The Columbus Dispatch - June 22, 2012 05:51 PM


The news that the Cleveland Indians had traded former first-round pick Beau Mills to the Cincinnati Reds in a cash transaction was old by the time the Clippers started their early work today in Huntington Park.

The Tribe announced the move in an e-mail late last night. Mills, 25,heard about it several hours before that while he was with the Clippers in Charlotte.

Director of player development Ross Atkins called Mills on Thursday afternoon, Columbus manager Mike Sarbaugh said.

"Beau flew out yesterday afternoon," Sarbaugh said.

The Reds assigned Mills to double-A Pensacola. He drove from Columbus to Chattanooga to join that team and begin a new chapter in his baseball life.

The Indians chose Mills in the first round of the June 2007 first-year player draft with the 13th overall pick. A power-hitting first baseman, Mills stalled at double-A Akron, spending both the '09 and '10 seasons there. He started with the Aeros again in '11 and reclaimed his prospect status. He finished the season with the Clippers and helped them win the International League Governors' Cup playoffs and the Triple-A National Championship game.

Mills was with Columbus at the outset of this season, but was behind both Matt LaPorta and Russ Canzler in as first base/designated hitter rotation. He appeared to make the most of his playing time in the early going. He hit a grand slam in an 8-1 win over Toledo on May 6. The homer, his fourth of the season, lifted his batting average to .294.

The bottom seemed to fall out after that. Mills was batting .197 with 7 home runs and 27 RBI at the time of the trade. He also was on the disabled list with a calf strain and had fallen behind LaPorta, Canzler and Jared Goedert on the depth chart.

Sarbaugh wished Mills well.

"He is a great kid and great in the clubhouse," he said. "He's a baseball player. But first and foremost, he's a good person and a good teammate. I think a fresh start will be good for him."

Mills likely will be with the Louisville Bats by the time the Clippers see that team again on July 16.

J.R. wrote:http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Beau_Mills

Beau is going to turn 26 in about 50 days, and still has never had a cup of coffee.

Interesting that The Tribe organization made the move while in the town of Houston, where Beau's Dad is currently Manager.

On a brighter note:

Cleveland Indians prospects Francisco Lindor, Jesus Aguilar named to Futures Game
Published: Thursday, June 21, 2012, 1:57 PM Updated: Thursday, June 21, 2012, 2:05 PM

By Paul Hoynes, The Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Indians minor leaguers Francisco Lindor and Jesus Aguilar have been picked to play in the All-Star Futures Game in Kansas City on July 8 as part of the All-Star game festivities.

Lindor and Aguilar will play on the World Team against Team USA at 5 p.m. at Kauffman Stadium. The big league All-Star game will be played July 10.

On Wednesday, Lindor, 18, started at shortstop and batted leadoff for the Class A Midwest League East All-Stars. He went 2-for-4 and batted leadoff. The Indians No.1 pick in 2011 is hitting .285 (71-for-249) with 13 doubles, three triples, four homers and 23 RBI in 60 games at Class A Lake County.

Aguilar, a 6-3, 257-pound first baseman, was signed out of Venezuela as a non-drafted free agent in 2007. The 21-year-old right-handed hitter is batting .295 (66-for-224) with 41 runs, 17 doubles, two triples, six homers and 30 RBI in 65 games at Class A Carolina.

ESPN2, ESPN2 HD and MLB.TV will carry the game live. SiriusXM will provide play-by-play coverage on the radio.

I also expect a new landing place for Trevor Crowe....... another first round bust.

"traded for cash"

Is this not the same thing as "sold"? Well at least this way we don't have to pay sales tax.